I know this review makes it sound like Quantum Conundrum is a bad game, despite my attempt to put a lot of positive points and disclaimers in to counter the primary issues. I just hope people understand what I mean— It’s by no means a bad game and in fact, it has all the earmarks of a fantastic game, simply because it’s so similar to the godly Portal. But the latter titles were never frustrating, and you felt more pride than relief upon finishing one of the puzzles. Here, glimpses of that brilliance are evident, but we lose sight of them far too often.

But, it is a very, very good series of puzzles. And, (I suppose we can’t avoid the elephant in the room any longer) if you’ve been looking for the smaller, cheaper, nephew to Professor Portal, without the co-op play, the polished presentation, or the laughs, Quantum Conundrum is it. It’s frustrating in that very good puzzler way and there are collectables and time challenges to get you returning for more. And, the game’s just so smart that every time you play your IQ will go up at least ten points, or you’ll have to go for a lie down in a dark room because your brain hurts.

If you’ve already played both Portal games to death and are dying to sink your teeth into another mind-bending puzzler, look no further, for Quantum Conundrum will undoubtedly satiate that craving. Just don’t expect it to blow you away like jumping through portals for the first time.

But the occasional frustration that results from these weaker moments isn't enough to derail Quantum Conundrum. The rewarding sense of experimentation and problem-solving that dominates this quest makes putting up with its foibles worthwhile, and the twisting, puzzling halls of Quadwrangle Manor are substantial enough to justify the $14.99 price of admission. It doesn't always play to its strengths, but the clever ideas and confounding brainteasers of Quantum Conundrum make it a mostly enjoyable journey into the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh dimensions.

Some of the puzzles, particularly once the time-slowing dimension has been introduced, are glorious pieces of game design that deserve to be applauded. The issue is that this has set itself up to be compared to two of PS3’s finest games, and comes up short in some key areas. And while we heartily recommend Quantum Conundrum’s downloadable dimension-hopping, we were thinking with portals the whole time.

I played Quantum Conundrum via the PSN version of the game, and found that the controller set-up seemed to work just fine for the game, and felt pretty natural despite being introduced on PC first. On the technical side of things there were some framerate hiccups that occurred, and a bit of texture pop-in, both of which are more noticeable when the game loads in new areas which it tries to mask behind sliding doors. But overall the game performs on the PS3 without much issue. It’s not the best looking game on the market, but I enjoyed the brightly hued color of the stages, despite some of the more repetitious environments that divide the rooms.

Quantum Conundrum, if judged by its own merits, feels like an unexceptional puzzle game that’ll leave those craving an intellectual challenge wanting. It has some interesting ideas, but it can’t quite figure out what to do with them or how to create truly engaging puzzles. Too easy for older gamers, and a little over the heads of younger gamers, Quantum Conundrum finds itself in a sort of purgatory between the two, and like a younger brother it can’t help but live in the shadow of its older sibling’s success.